Aspects of the disclosure relate generally to vascular grafts and, more particularly, to a vascular graft that facilitates straight onlay coupling to a blood vessel.
Vascular grafts are used to perform anastomosis, the joining of blood vessels (e.g., an artery and a vein). For example, an arteriovenous graft (AVG) extends from an artery to a vein.
Known vascular grafts terminate at both ends in an open cross section, which can be sutured to a wall of a blood vessel such that the graft extends from the blood vessel at an angle determined by how the cross section is cut. In many cases, a vascular graft is oriented approximately perpendicular to the blood vessel. Known vascular grafts are susceptible to the development of stenosis, or narrowing, near and downstream of the anastomosis. Stenosis may be especially pronounced in a patient with end stage renal disease (ESRD), in whom an AVG is used to provide vascular access for hemodialysis. In this context, stenosis may be referred to as venous neointimal hyperplasia (VNH) and can ultimately lead to a failure of the graft.